Handling mechanism for mining-cars.



A. FERGUSON. HANDLING MECHANISM FOR -MiNlNG CARS. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 15, 1916.

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A. FERGUSON. HANDLING MECHANISM FOR MINING CARS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR-15, 19:16.

Rm 1 9 1 0 2 6 H H o d e t H e t a D1 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 QRQHIBALD FERGUSON ARCI-IIBALD FERGUSON, OF ROSCOE, PENNSYLVANIA.

HANDLING MECHANISM FOR MIN ING-CARS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 20, 1916.

Application filed March 15, 1916. Serial No. 84,384.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARGHIBALD FERGUSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Roscoe, in the county of Washington and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Handling Mechanism for Mining-Cars, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to mechanism for stopping and starting cars, and particularly to mechanism for stopping and starting mining cars or other cars used in connection with a tipple or dump.

WVhere a tipple or dump is used for the purpose of unloading cars, as for instance, mining cars, the cars are run onto the tipple, the tipple is tipped to discharge the contents of the cars and then returned to a horizontal position and then the unloaded car is run off the tipple onto a crossover and then shunted onto a return track whereby the car is returned to a point where it may be again engaged by a locomotive. There are usually a number of cars waiting at the tipple, and it is necessary to push the empty car from the tipple, run a loaded car onto the tipple, and while this is happening the other cars must be stopped and when the tipple has returned to its horizontal position the other cars must be moved into position so that they may in turn be placed upon the tipple. In the majority of mines the handling of the cars is entirely intrusted to men and boys employed for the purpose and this is troublesome and expensive.

The general object of my invention is to do away with the manual handling of the cars and provide automatic means for stopping a series of cars and permitting the cars to move up step by step toward the tipple or dump, said means being actuated by the oscillations of the tipple.

A further object of my invention is to provide a mechanism which includes a plurality of car stops disposed at spaced intervals along a track, to provide a crossover on the other side of the tipple onto which the empty cars may be shunted, this crossover in turn conducting the empty cars onto the return track, and provide, in connection with the two stops next adjacent the tipple, operating mechanism operated by the oscillations of the tipple for shifting the stops into or out of operative position, and provide in connection with a third stop, mechanism operated by a car passing from the third stop onto the second stop to check or stop a car from further movement after it has run upon the third stop.

Other objects will appear in the course of the following description.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a section of track showing my car stopping devices applied thereto, the arms 7 being shown as disposed in a horizontal plane instead of a vertical plane for clearness of illustration; Fig. 2 is a vertical section through one of the car stopping devices illustrated in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a face view of one of the car stops; Fig. 4: is a perspective detail view of the triangular plate or lever 9; Fig. 5 is an elevation, partly in section, of the tipple and the stop actuating levers controlled thereby; Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of the tipple, its stand and the lever 21; Fig. 7 is a side elevation of the lever 22; Fig. 8 is a perspective detail view of the wheel-operated lever 24; Fig. 9 is a cross sectional view of the track on the line 99 of Fig. 1, showing the actuating device for stop No. 3.

Referring to these drawings, and particularly to Fig. 1, A designates a stretch of track discharging onto a tipple B. Beyond the tipple there is what I term a crossover track section 0, andconnecting this crossover track with a return track D is a switch point E and a frog. The switch point E is a spring switch point allowing cars to run from the tipple to the end of the crossover section. The portion C of the crossover section and the point E are on an lip-grade, and the return track section D is on a lower level than the track section A so that the cars shifted onto the section G will automatically return and be shunted onto the return track section D. This return track section D has a down-grade so that the empty cars will run back to a position where the motor on the line will get them, this return track section eventually intersecting the main track section A.

Along the track section A at a plurality of points, area plurality of pairs of car stops designated generally 1, 2 and 3. Each pair of stops 1, 2 and 3 is disposed in connection with the rails or, of the track section A and is adapted tobe raised into position above the rails so that the wheels of cars traveling on the rails may engage therewith, or lowered into such position as to release the cars. All of the stops are operated in moreor less the same manner, and the description of the mounting of one pair of stops will apply to each pair of stops, reference being made particularly to Figs; 2 and 3. r

For the purpose of mounting the stops, I provide in conjunction with the rails a thelongitudinally extending shafts 5, these shafts being mounted in bearings carried by brackets 6, and mounted upon each shaft is an arm 7 having a head 8 at its upper end, the inner end of the arm 7 being extended beyond the shaft 5. Mounted between the rails is a triangular plate 9 constituting in effect a three-armed lever, this plate being operatively supported on a vertical pivot bolt 10 which passes through a washer 11 and into a base plate 12. The forward or projecting end or arm of each plate 9 is connected by means of a rod 13 to the short end of the member 7 on the other side of'the shaft of the said member from the head 8. One of the rear corners of the plate 9 is connected by means of a rod 14 to the short end of the other arm or member 7, and the opposite rear corner of each plate 9 is connected to an actuating rod 15. The long end of one of the arms 7 is engaged by a spring 16 which resists the rotation of the plate 9 from its normal position and which acts to hold the arms 7 in an upwardly extending position but yields to permit the arms to be shifted to an approximately horizontal position and out of the line of movement of the car. In Fig. 1 the arms 7 are illustrated as disposed in a horizontal plane so as to secure clearness of illustration as, if they were shown in a vertical plane as in Fig. 2, the operation of the arms would not be clear.

For the purpose of actuating the several stops, 1, 2 and 3, I provide levers operatively connected to the operating rods 15 of the several stops, two of these levers being adapted to be actuated by the'movement of the tipple. This tipple may be constructed in any ordinary or usual manner and is illustrated as 7 a platform having a transverse shaft 17 upon which the platform rocks. When the platform is in its horizontal position it is adapted to receive cars thereon and when the platform is tipped from the position shown in Fig. 5 the material carried in the car will be dumped through the chute or opening 18. The platform of the tipple of course is provided with tracks upon which cars are adapted to run, and attached to the platform of the tipple is a stem 20 which projects rearward from the platform and moves therewith. Disposed in the path of movement of the stem 20 and at one side of the rails a; is a lever 21 which is curved or angular in form and which is pivotally been held by the stops 1 is released, it is of course necessary to permit the next succeeding car to pass from the stops 2 to the stops 1, and to this end I mount in conjunction with the tipple an angular lever 22 having one arm extending in the path of movement of the tipple but-disposed above the tipple when the tipple is in its horizontal position. The other arm of this angular lever 22 extends downward and is connected to the actuating rod 15 of the stops 2. The arm 22 is so connected tothe arm 23 that it will yield to permit the tipple to return to its horizontal position without affecting the arm 23, and to this end I have shown the arm 22 as formed with a stop 23 which will prevent movement of the arm 22, in one direction relative to the arm 23 but will permit the relative movement of the arm 22 in the other direction. Thus when the rear edge of the tipple rises it will engage the arm 22 and oscillate the lever, but when the rear end of the tipple falls it will simply pass the arm 22 and the arm 22 will spring back over the tipple after the tipple has passed. It will now be seen that when the tipple, after having discharged the contents of the car, returns to its horizontal position, it will simultaneously actuate the levers 22 and 21 and the car at stop 1 will move onto the tipple and the car at stop No. 2 will move to stop No. 1. hen the car at stop 2 moves to stop No. 1 means are provided to release stop No. 3 so that the car may pass on to stop No. 2. For this purpose the rod 15 of stop 3 is connected to a lever 24: which is disposed in conjunction with the track a so that it will be operated by the car wheel. This lever 24 is operatively connected to the pull rod 15 and is disposed between the stop 2 and the stop 1. Now, therefore, when the car at stop'2 is released the car will move onward, strike the said plate 25 connected to lever 24L, rock this lever, pull upon the rod 15, rotate the plate or lever 9, and pull down or release the stops 3, permitting the car at 3 to pass on to 2. It will be understood that as soon as any car passes off a stop the power of the spring 16 connected to the stop arms or levers will .pullthese arms or levers back into a projected position so as to hold the next succeeding car.

The general operation of the invention will be obvious from what has gone before.

Assuming that there are cars at the three stops, 1, 2 and 3, then when the tipple returns to its normal position the levers 21 and 22 will be simultaneously actuated to release the cars at the stops 1 and 2. The car at stop 1 will pass onto the tipple. The car at stop 2 will pass on and be stopped by the stops 1. As it does so the stops 3 will be released and the car at 3 will pass along the track and be engaged by the stops 2 while a new car will be engaged by the stops 3. It is to be understood of course that the track section A has sufficient grade to cause the cars to move by gravity toward the tipple and run upon the tipple.

Vhile T have illustrated certain embodi ments of my invention, I wish it understood that various changes might be made in the construction without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having described the invention, what I claim is:

1. The combination with a track and a tipple, of a plurality of car stops conjoined with the track, means for shifting the car stop nearest the tipple out of operative position upon a movement of the tipple into the same plane as the track whereby to permit a first car to shift onto the tipple, means for releasii'ig a second car stop upon a movement of the tipple away from its horizontal receiving position to thereby allow a second car to move into engagement with the first stop, and means for shifting a third stop into inoperative position, said means being actuated by a movement of the second car beyond the second stop. I

2. The combination with a track and a tipple, of a plurality of car stops conjoined with the track, means for shifting the car stop nearest the tipple out of operative position upon a movement of the tipple into the same plane as the track whereby to permit a first car to shift onto the tipple, means for releasing the second stop upon a moveient of the tipple away from its receiving position to thereby allow a second car to move into engagementwith the first stop, means for shifting a third stop into inoperative position, said means being actuated by a movement of the second car from the second stop to the first stops, each of said stops comprising a shaft, an arm on the shaft adapted to be projected into the path of movement of a car, means for normally holding the shaft with its arm projected, and automatically operated mechanism for rotating said shafts to depress the respective stops.

The combination with a track section, a tipple on which the track section discharges, a crossover track section and a return track section, of a car stop disposed in spaced relation to the tipple, and means operated by a return movement of the tipple from an inclined position to a horizontal position for positively shifting said car stop to an inoperative position.

4. The combination with a track section, a tipple on which the track section discharges, a crossover and a return track section, of a car stop disposed in spaced relation to the tipple, means operated by a movement of the tipple from an inclined to a horizontal position for positively shifting the car stop to an inoperative position, and

, means for positively returning the car stop to its operative position when the tipple moves from a horizontal to an inclined position.

5. The combination with a track section, a tipple on which the track section discharges, a crossover and a return track section, of two car stops disposed in spaced relation to each other on the first-named track section, means operated by a movement of the tipple from an inclined position to a horizontal position releasing the stop nearest the tipple, and means operated by a movement of the tipple from its horizontal position to its inclined position for releasing the stop next beyond the firstnamed stop.

6. The combination with a track section, a tipple on which the track section discharges, a crossover and a return track section, of two car stops disposed in spaced relation to each other on the first-named track section, means operated by a movement of the tipple from an inclined position to a horizontal position releasing the stop nearest the tipple, means operated by a movement of the tipple from its horizontal position to its inclined position for releasing the stop next beyond the first-named stop, a third car stop beyond the second stop, and means operated by the passage of a car from the second car stop to the first stop for shift in g the third stop to an inoperative position.

7. The combination with a track section, of a tipple on which the track section discharges, and a car stop disposed in spaced relation to the tipple comprising a pair of pivot-ally mounted arms disposed each in conjunction with a rail of the track, a spring normally holding the arms in a vertical position, an angular lever operatively connected to each of the stops, and a lever disposed in operative relation to the tipple and adapt ed to be engaged thereby upon a movement of the tipple in a predetermined direction, said last-named lever being operatively connected to the hell crank lever to shift the car stops upon said movement of the tipple.

8. The combination with a track section, a tipple on which the track section discharges, a crossover and a return track section, of three car stops disposed on a first named track section and in spaced relation to each other and to the tipple, each of said zontal to an inclined position and opera tively connected to thesecond angular lever, said actuating lever being adapted to permit 'the movement of the tipple from an inclined to a horizontal position without the actuation of the lever, anda releasing lever disposedv adjacent one rail of the track and in the path of movement of a car operating over said rail, said releasing lever being operatively connected to the third angular lever so'that a depression of the releasing lever under the weight of a car will shift the third named angular lever to thereby throw the arms ofcthe third car stop to an inoperative position;

' 9. The combination with a track section and a movable platform on which the track section discharges, of two car stops disposed in spaced relation to each other on the track section, means operated by a movement of the platform from a position out of alinement with the section to a position into alinement therewith releasing the stop nearest the platform, and means operated by a movement of the platform from its position of alinement into a position out of r alinement with the track section for releasing the stop next beyond the first-named sto 1%. The combination with a track section and a movable platform on which the track section discharges, of a car stop disposed in spaced relation to the platform and movable from a position athwart the track section to a position entirely to one side thereof to permit the passage of a car, and means operated by a movement of the platform from a position out of alinement with the track into a position into alinement with the track for positively shifting said car stop to its lastnamed inoperative position.

11. The combination with a track section, of a movable platform on which the track section discharges and a car stop disposed in spaced relation to the platform comprising a pivotally mounted arm disposed in conjunction with a rail of the track, a spring normally holding the arm in a vertical position, a lever operatively connected to said stop and an actuating lever disposed in operative relation to the platform and adapted to be engaged thereby upon a movement of the platform in a predetermined direction, said actuating lever being operatively connected to the first-named lever to shift the car stop into operative position athwart the track upon a movement of the platform in said predetermined direction.

12. The combination with a track section and a platform on which the track section discharges, of two car stops disposed on the tracksection and in spaced relation to each other and to the platform, means operated by a movement of the platform from a position out of alinement with the track section to a position into alinement therewith releasing the stop nearest the platform, means operated by a movement of the platform from a position in alinement with the track section to a position out of alinement therewith forreleasing the stop next beyond the first-named stop, a third car step beyond the second-named stop and means operated by the passage of the car from the second car stop to the first stop for shifting the third stop to an inoperative position.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

ARCHIBALD FERGUSON.

Witnesses BESSIE HILEMAN, H. T. McKNIGI-rr.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner 01. Patents,

7 Washington, D. 0." 

